April 2024

Hepatitis A

Unexplained local transmission continues to be a feature of hepatitis A in our region, with none of the nine confirmed Canterbury cases of hepatitis A this year reporting overseas travel. A cluster of five genomically linked cases included four people from one extended family, but no links or source could be identified for the remaining five cases.

Hepatitis A is spread by the faecal-oral route. Following a prodrome that may include fever, malaise, anorexia, nausea or abdominal discomfort, there is jaundice, and sometimes an enlarged tender liver. Children are often asymptomatic and occasionally present with atypical symptoms, including diarrhoea, cough, coryza or arthralgia. Jaundice is very unusual in children younger than 4 years, and 90 percent of cases in the 4–6 years age group are anicteric. Diagnosis is by serology. Please remain alert for the possibility of hepatitis A, and notify on suspicion.

Lead poisoning and Ayurvedic medicine

In February the National Poisons Centre and Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora alerted health professionals and Indian communities to the risk of severe lead poisoning from Ayurvedic medicine, following multiple North Island cases in adult males of Indian origin who reported taking an Ayurvedic product. Patients reported various reasons for using the products, including sexual enhancement, improved fertility, or for chronic abdominal pain. Several patients presented with complaints of abdominal pain with nausea/vomiting or constipation, sometimes with multiple presentations over weeks to months, and two patients had potentially lethal blood lead levels. Practitioners are encouraged to ask about Ayurvedic product use in patients of Indian ethnicity with colicky abdominal symptoms without an apparent cause, especially if recurrent or associated with a new anaemia.

The National Poisons Centre is available 24/7 to provide advice for any cases of known or suspected lead toxicity, and clinical toxicologists can be contacted via the service by calling 0800 764 766. 

Notifications to the local Medical Officer of Health are required for blood lead level equal or greater than 0.24 µmol/L, who will investigate exposure pathways and test items that may have contributed to the elevated BLL.

The Ministry of Health is developing a national strategy for lead poisoning prevention, including reducing the top five common lead exposures.

Mpox vaccination

Mpox vaccination is still available at Te Whatu Ora’s Christchurch Sexual Health Services. The next two morning clinics will be on Tuesday 7th May and Tuesday 11th June 2024. Practitioners or patients may phone 03 3640485 to make an appointment.

Aranui Bike Fix-up

The Aranui Bike Fix Up, established in 2019, has a kaupapa that anyone who needs a bike can get one, free of charge. After five years, they are about to give away their 1000th bike on ANZAC Day 2024.

Intentionally based in Aranui and co-located with the Breezes Road Baptist Church, the project focuses on local tamariki and rangatahi. In reality no one gets turned away.

The workshop hours are 3-6pm every Thursday, including school holidays, closing around 5pm in mid winter. Youth and youngsters are taught how to strip a bike, bike maintenance and tool use. Healthy kai is offered.

Many participants and their families have limited opportunities for bike riding other than around their immediate locale so regular rides are organised throughout the year in the weekends and week day evenings. These are often at Bottle Lake Forest or up on the Port Hills. A dawn Matariki ride, attended by 30 people in 2023, looks like becoming a permanent feature.

The project owns the Christchurch Bike Library  and uses these bikes for rides to ensure youth and their families have safe, fit for purpose bikes.

The project welcome referrals for rides and bikes, everything is free, no questions asked... (until people are on their 3 or 4th bike 😊). Queries and offers of bike donations  can be directed to Youth worker Hughan Scott hughan.scott@gmail.com  or  steve@cycletrailers.co.nz .